The California State Assembly passed a bill on Thursday with the bare minimum 41 out of 80 votes that, if passed by the Senate, will prohibit state and local authorities from assisting federal agencies in the enforcement of marijuana laws without a court order. Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer , who authored and introduced the bill, says [...]

The city of Austin filed a lawsuit on Thursday joining San Antonio and two other Texas cities in challenging the constitutionality of Texas Senate Bill 4 (SB4) , a new immigration enforcement law signed by Governor Greg Abbott early last month. The San Antonio lawsuit , filed on the city’s behalf by the Mexican American [...]

The California Supreme Court , in an opinion overturning three Kern County attempted murder convictions for alleged jury tampering, unanimously ruled on Thursday that judges must thoroughly examine prosecutor decisions to exclude potential jurors to ensure there is no racial bias. In so ruling, the Court concluded that the trial judge erred in rejecting the [...]

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein called on the Government of Bahrain on Friday to investigate the deaths of five protesters that occurred during a security operation last week. The protesters were killed and 286 individuals were arrested when Bahraini security forces were conducting an operation concerning a sit-in held [...]

Eric Schneiderman , New York’s top prosecutor, accused ExxonMobil in a court filing Friday of misleading investors about climate change risks and demanded the corporation turn over internal documents. Schneiderman, Attorney General for New York, said in the filing that he had evidence of “potential materially false and misleading statements by Exxon” that could have [...]

Family members of human rights lawyer Jiang Tianyong said Friday that police have informed them of his formal arrest and his decision to dismiss all legal counsel. The legal activist disappeared in November after publicizing the plight of families of human rights lawyers and activists that have been detained in an effort to stifle opposition [...]

The Kansas legislature approved SB 235 on Thursday exempting state mental hospitals, community mental health centers and the University of Kansas Health System‘s hospitals from a previously passed law allowing people to carry concealed firearms in such facilities. The bill was written in response to a National Rifle Association (NRA) backed law passed in 2013. [...]

Japan’s lower house of parliament passed a bill Friday allowing Emperor Akihito to step down and calling for a debate on women emperors in the male-dominated monarchy. Emperor Akihito, who has been on the throne for nearly 30 years, would be the first abdication in almost two centuries. Akihito, 83, who has had heart surgery [...]

Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a law Thursday night that significantly loosens voter identification requirements. Senate Bill 5 is intended to salvage portions of a 2011 law that was found to be discriminatory against minority voters by a federal judge in April. The bill allows voters who lack a photo ID to produce other documents [...]

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro pledged Thursday to hold a referendum on a new controversial constitution that he has proposed. Maduro’s pledge to rewrite the national charter has led to two months of protests in which at least 62 people have been killed. Maduro’s pledge came after criticism from opponents that his plan to rewrite the [...]